Small Claims Court Informative - Won In Small Claims Court - Company Not Responding

OCEAN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY -- I won a case in small claims court, but the company is refusing all mail sent to them by the court, and I am wondering if any one can advise me what my next steps would be to collect my money.

Yes, contact your local sheriff's department. They, as officers of the court have the wherewithall to enforce your judgement. They have a number of methods they can use to get your judgement satisfied, including what is known as a till tap. In this, they go into the business and take money directly out of the company's tills, or registers until your judgement is satisfied. The people to talk to are likely to be under the name of the Civil Division.

Posted by Hugh_Jorgen on 2008-05-18:

Another method is to get a friend to go into the business and make a small purchase and pay with a check. When the check comes back from the friend's bank, there is the merchant's bank account info on the back.

Then you hightail it to the court and have the judge issue an order to allow you to take your monies directly from their bank account.

Posted by S on 2008-05-18:

Very clever Hugh... Would never have thought of that... Do courts have that power to withdraw from your account?

Posted by Anonymous on 2008-05-18:

I had a guy pull that on me. I sent the judgment stuff USPS Express with sig required. But I wrote "Payment Enclosed" on the outside of the Express envelope. They of course signed for it and I did get my money a few weeks later.

Posted by tnchuck100 on 2008-05-18:

Is this the same company you were having a problem with in November 2007? The one you said went out of business. If it is and it was incorporated your judgment is probably worthless.

Posted by Hugh_Jorgen on 2008-05-18:

Sparticus - they do here in my state anyway. If you can find any assets the person has clear ownership of - a house, cars or money in the bank you can go the sheriff and ask them to go seize it to fulfill your judgment.

Posted by waznotwas on 2008-05-18:

another method is to place a real estate lien on their property.. advice on how to do it is at this link:
http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectId/B05ECFB4-A00D-4ECD-AE836F461942C89C/catID/697A614B-B8AD-43EB-BE4B39DA5E65686B/104/308/191/ART/

Posted by Ann on 2009-02-24:

FLOOR STORE AT YOUR DOOR, ETC.
OWNER FILED BANKRUPTCY. Now no one will get money from her.